Beauty and the Beast: Hit or Miss?

Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” a live-action remake of the original animated film made in 1991, opened in theaters this past Thursday. The movie starring Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as The Prince/Beast has had mixed reviews from critics. Some say they loved revisiting the enchanted world from the original film, while others say it was repetitive and an unnecessary remake. In my opinion, it was a great film that gave an updated version and a freshness that I did not expect. Emma Watson was the perfect match to play Belle in the film, and the music still had the magical element that made fans fall in love with the original.

The movie follows the original plot with some minor changes that explains the back stories of some characters, including Belle’s. Another noteworthy change is Lefou, Gaston’s right hand man, is gay. This is the first time an openly gay character is featured in a Disney film. The director of the film chose to portray Lefou as a homosexual in remembrance of the late Howard Ashman, who died after writing the lyrics to the original film.

Although, reviews are mixed by all sorts of critics and will be discussed for weeks to come. One thing is certain, the film is doing well in the box office with 64 million dollars in sales on the first day it was released.